Shervin Hajipour, the protesting singer, announces confirmation of his prison sentence

Shervin Hajipour, the protesting singer who was sentenced to prison and additional penalties for performing the song 'Baraye', announced that the 3 years and 8 months prison sentence issued against him in court has been upheld by the appeals court. On Tuesday, August 1, he shared on social media that he must report to prison to serve his sentence in a few days. He further stated that creating the piece 'Baraye' was his most peaceful way of protest and criticism, saying, 'My accusation is inciting people to murder and war. Which part of the piece 'Baraye' incites you to go and kill someone?' Mr. Hajipour mentioned that his travel ban has been lifted but he does not intend to leave Iran. He expressed his reluctance to return to prison and his disappointment at being treated like a criminal, adding, 'I wanted to say at least leave a piece of this land for us. I want nothing else from you.' The confirmation of this protesting singer's prison sentence comes as his lawyer recently expressed 'surprise' in a letter to the head of the judiciary about the song's broadcast at election campaign headquarters, questioning how a song could be considered to incite violence against the regime in October 2022 but, 21 months later, be seen as encouraging maximum voter turnout. In his song 'Baraye', inspired by Iranian social media users' posts, Hajipour addresses the concerns of the Iranian people, including economic issues, class disparity, social pressures, and environmental problems. After the song's release in 2022, he was detained for a period and was released on bail on October 4 of the same year. Mr. Hajipour was sentenced in the Revolutionary Court for charges such as 'propaganda against the regime' and 'inciting and provoking people to riots aimed at disrupting national security' to three years of imprisonment. He was also sentenced to other penalties, such as 'creating music against the crimes of America' and 'travel ban'. This was while the Grammy Award for Best Song in the category of 'Songs for Social Change' was awarded to this single by Shervin Hajipour during the 65th edition of the awards.